Glutamate is the most prevalent neurotransmitter in the
brain and acts in excitatory synapses. During neuronal
activity, glutamate levels can vary. In this study, we
used slice selective proton spectroscopic imaging to
measure changes in glutamate levels during electrical
stimulation in the mouse hind paw. Glutamate levels were
found to be increased in the contralateral somatosensory
cortex, but remained almost constant on the ipsilateral
side. This unilateral response is encouraging and
indicates good specificity. Measuring glutamate level
changes upon sensory stimulation might constitute an
alternative to standard BOLD-fMRI in mice, for which
systemic hemodynamic effects may contribute to the
response.

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